Truth
by Virtualide
Summary: Smoke and fire. Blood and gore. The soft thud of a body as it crashed onto the ground. The Straw Hats embark on a separate journey involving a mysterious hooded man, cloudless nights and Hell itself. Takes place after the Alabasta Arc. Contains OC and romance.


Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, or any of its characters. They all belong to the awesome Oda-senpai :]

My first story, so constructive criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated.

**Chapter 1 – The Eighth Shichibukai**

It was the simplest design of rafts – two planks of wood tied together securely with vines, the absence of a sail clearly noticeable. Sitting on it with his legs crossed was a thin boy no older than the age of thirteen, his dark, unkempt hair bobbing up and down along with the rough currents of the notorious Grand Line.

The Commodore scrutinised the sight with his telescope.

'Sir, the preparations are complete. Currently awaiting orders to fire,' a marine dashed across the deck and saluted.

The young marine leader bit his lip. Surely, this was going too far – initiating the dreaded Buster Call attack on a single, emaciated teenager sitting on nothing but a plank of wood.

'I know what you're thinking,' the Vice Admiral turned his head around to face him. 'Never judge someone by their appearance, or else you'll regret it. You should know that by now.'

'Sorry sir, I understand.'

'Good.'

The Commodore opened his mouth and bellowed in a loud voice.

'ALL SHIPS –'

The boy opened his eyes, his face completely devoid of emotion. Dark golden orbs scanned across the view in front of him. It was exactly as he had suspected. Ten Buster Call battleships all armed to the core.

'-FIRE!'

An ear-deafening explosion rang out across the sea. Cannonball fire licked hungrily along the edges of dry wood before being smothered by the ocean waves and disappearing into columns of blinding, toxic smoke. Amidst all the destruction a single, deathly calm voice uttered two words.

'Kaze: Suteppu.'

Marines peered into the ash and spiralling columns of smoke, searching for any sign of the boy's demise.

'Did it work?' they whispered amongst themselves anxiously, the concept of a young teenager being able to survive a Buster Call attack foreign to them.

'He's alive,' the Vice Admiral began, eyes peeled for the slightest movement on the choppy waters. 'Never underestimate the powers of a Devil Fruit user. Keep your guard up.'

'Yes sir!'

He was soon proven to be right. After the dust had cleared, all that was left of the raft were several broken pieces of burnt wood, a thin layer of soot floating in the water around them. The boy was nowhere to be seen.

A shadow passed over the Commodore's face.

'HE'S IN THE SKY! SHOOT HIM DOWN!' he roared as marines scrambled across decks to retrieve their firearms, but before a single shot was able to be fired the boy had already landed on the decks of the ship, without so much as a single scratch on him.

'Kaze: Senpu Suraisu,' an omnidirectional blast of condensed wind cut through many of the sword-wielding marines that had quickly surrounded him, knocking them onto their own crew and slicing through the main mast in the process.

The windy aura around him began to heat up.

'Hi: Ringu,' a blast of fire shot out from his palm as he spun his body around, creating a ring of fire that set both marines and the ship alight. The fire hungrily latched onto the flammable sail of the mast as it fell towards the deck, ripping a gaping hole through the thick wood as it did so.

A cannonball suddenly tore through the burnt wood beside him, having missed him by an inch. The boy's eyes snapped back and took a brief glance at the other battleships before soaring into the sky and leaving the ship to its own plight. They were willing to fire at their own crew just to take him out, and he was going to take advantage of that fact.

Narrowly dodging the barrages of bullets and cannonballs, the boy dived onto the decks of the next ship. Ranks after ranks of marines fell as heavily condensed blasts of wind sliced through them as if they were butter. Water poured through the gaping holes ripped open by cannonballs fired by the other ships, and combined with the carnage that the boy was causing above decks the ship quickly began to sink.

Something heavy suddenly latched onto his arm just as he was about to abandon the ship. He turned around half a second before the razor-sharp tip of a bayonet embedded itself into the wood behind him, an inch next to his left eye. The boy caught sight of a heavily injured Commodore, his clothes streaked with blood and his entire left arm torn out of its socket. His breath came out in slow, ragged gasps, and it was obvious that he was nearing unconsciousness from the heavy loss of blood.

'I refuse…' the Commodore spat out in painfully laboured breaths, a trickle of blood dribbling down his chin. 'I REFUSE TO DIE LIKE THIS!'

The deadly spikes embedded on the tips of steel knuckles glinted in the sunlight a second before the boy's instincts jumped into action.

'Tsuchi: Amasupaiku,' he thrust his palm over the Commodore's heart.

Nothing happened, and the punch connected, tearing a large gash on the boy's left cheek. Blood seeped into his eyes, and to his horror he glimpsed a pair of handcuffs connecting his left wrist to the Commodore's. He should've known the moment it latched onto his arm - they were made of kairoseki.

The Commodore smiled, a glazed look coming over his eyes.

'Let's…let's die together, shall we,' he whispered, grinning, before mustering up the last of his energy and flinging both him and the boy over the edge of the rapidly sinking ship.

The boy's fingers reached out and latched onto the rough wood of the fallen mast that hung over the edge of the ship. A splinter found its way into his hand, but he ignored the pain and focused on bringing his other arm up. The Commodore was heavy, and the boy gritted his teeth as the strain on his arm increased steadily. With a loud cry he pulled himself up and repeatedly smashed the handcuffs into the steel plates that held the mast together, finally breaking them into pieces. He watched as the broken chains along with the Commodore dropped into the sea below, the dark red blood of the dead man turning the white frothy waves into a light shade of pink.

Pulling the splinter out and wiping his eyes, the boy soared into the safety of the sky, making a mental note to himself to be more careful. That had been way too close. He pondered his next move, aware of the danger of close combat, assuming that the other ships were also stocked with kairoseki weapons, as well as the fact that they would stop firing on their own after their losses. The boy turned to stare at the now somewhat calmer waves, and an idea began to form in his head.

Marines stared, shocked, as they watched the boy plummet into the waves below. Did he really not know about the weaknesses of Devil Fruits, or had he just simply given up?

'Mizu: Manto,' the boy uttered, seconds before he hit the deadly waters of the sea that sapped all Devil Fruit users of their strength. A clear mantle of water cloaked his entire body, and he took a deep breath before plummeting headfirst into the ocean.

'Mizu: Jetto.' two water jets appeared under his feet, and propelled the boy forwards to the hull of the nearest ship. As he neared he noticed that they were covered in some sort of steel – no doubt kairoseki – and keeping his distance, the boy held out his left hand. This time, a single water jet shot out from the tip of his index finger, and effortlessly cut into the thick kairoseki-covered hull. He darted around the entire length of the ship, and with a loud creak the entire hull disconnected from the ship's body. The ship began to sink almost immediately as massive amounts of water came tumbling in.

Meanwhile, marines on board the now hull-less ship wondered if the boy was still alive. A marine suddenly dashed onto the decks, completely soaked and looking as if he had seen a ghost.

'THE SHIP'S HULL HAS FALLEN OFF! WE'RE SINKING!'

'WHAT? What are you talking about?!' the Vice Admiral of that ship roared, just as the seawater began to seep through the cracks on the decks.

He had no time to admire his handiwork. It would only be a short while before the other ships took notice of what he was doing, and no doubt counter his strategy in some way. Breaking the surface of the water and taking another deep breath, the boy took off towards the other ships.

Marines flew into a panicked frenzy as gigantic battleships mysteriously sank, one by one, at an amazing speed. The last remaining Vice Admiral stared into the calm waves, eyes creased in thought. No doubt the boy was still alive, wreaking havoc to the other ships underwater in some way, using his powers to his advantage. He was about to send marines down to deal with the boy directly, but forgot about it as another, much better idea popped into his mind. He stood up and faced his crew.

'EVERYONE, LISTEN UP!' he roared over the chaos on deck, but to no avail.

Raising his cannon, he fired into the air three times. Marines stopped scrambling around, and turned to face him, faces white with terror.

'YOU'RE A GODDAMNED DISGRACE, THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL ARE,' he bellowed, the heavy cannon slung over his back as if it were a backpack. 'YOU DARE TO CALL YOURSELVES MARINES?! YOU DARE TO CALL YOURSELVES DEFENDERS OF JUSTICE?!'

A nearby marine gulped.

'But sir-'

'THERE IS NO BUT SIRS! TAKE A GOOD, LONG LOOK AT YOURSELVES. THE LEGENDARY BUSTER CALL FLEET, OVERWHELMED BY A MERE BOY? THAT'S COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY BULLSHIT!' the Admiral glared, slamming the end of his cannon into the ground with a loud thud.

'I see you've all calmed down somewhat,' he scanned over the myriad of stunned faces. 'If you think you're worthy enough to serve the World Government, if you think you're worthy enough to call yourselves a man, if you think you're worthy enough to be standing on this very ship, then you'd better start doing as I say.'

A moment of silence passed over the shocked crowd before a single cry of 'For Justice!' resonated across the crew. Another joined in, and soon the entire crew was completely re-energized, drawing their weapons and hollering loud battle cries.

The Vice Admiral grinned.

He had cut halfway across the hull of the last ship before the net came out of nowhere. One touch and he was completely paralysed, the water mantle around him rapidly disappearing as the deadly seawater seeped in.

'UNWIND THE ROPES AND RELEASE THE HANDLES!'

There was absolutely nothing he could do. The boy mentally cursed himself as he sank - he had been too focused on slicing through the ships' hull to notice the gigantic kairoseki net that was surrounding him.

'SIR, WE'VE GOT HIM!'

He was running out of breath.

_Smoke and fire. Blood and gore. The soft thud of a body as it crashed onto the ground._

None of the images that flashed through his mind were remotely happy. He had left those memories behind, a long time ago.

_A hooded man, with eyes as red as blood._

Dark golden orbs flashed, seething with hatred. He refused. He refused to die like this. Not until he had fulfilled his goal.

Summoning the last reserves of his strength, the boy willed the crushing sea back as a thin layer of clear water covered his skin. Almost immediately he felt better – he could move again. Two sets of jets appeared behind his feet and hands, propelling the boy past the boundaries of the sinking net and up into the air above.

He broke through the rippling surface, spluttering and panting, but being careful to keep his water mantle on. He couldn't go back down to finish cutting the hull off the last ship, but he didn't need to. The ship was already sinking, and all he needed was one final attack from the outside.

The Vice Admiral's eyes opened wide in shock as he spotted the boy in the sky. His silhouette glowed brightly in front of the setting sun, as a fiery aura began to build up around him.

Flames flickered around his body, growing larger and larger until it had completely blocked out the sun. Marines stared, terrified, at what seemed to not be a mere boy, but an incarnate from the deepest depths of Hell itself.

The boy crossed his arms and placed both of his hands in front of him. He closed his eyes and began to focus.

'HI: IDAINA KASAI BAKUFU!' he roared as a brilliant flash of flames flew from his palms and crashed directly into the last battleship, causing a gigantic pillar of steam and smoke to rise into the air.

There was nothing left in the sea after the attack, apart from the thin layer of ash that was the remains of the entire ship along with its inhabitants. A steady cloud of steam continued to rise into the air, creating a light fog around the entire area. It was his greatest fire attack.

'Mizu: Purattofomu,' the boy landed on a platform of clear water that hovered several metres above the waves. He took a glance around the battlefield. Burnt planks and drowned corpses littered the now still waters of the sea. The golden rays of the setting sun reflected across the dead bodies, giving them an eerie glow. The boy took a glance at his own injuries – a few scratches and bruises, a gash underneath his left eye that would probably leave a permanent scar, but nothing serious. The battle had only lasted for half an hour.

A sudden movement caught his attention, and the boy's eyes immediately perked up. A single marine was splashing around in the water, holding onto the burnt remains of a plank for dear life. The boy glanced around the deathly still waters for any signs of other survivors. There were none. He silently moved across to the drowning marine.

Unfeeling, dark golden orbs locked onto terrified black ones.

'No…don't, please-'

A muffled scream resounded throughout the beautiful sunset.

_3 years later, in Sengoku's office._

The new Vice Admiral rapidly flicked through the numerous reports in the massive portfolio in his arms.

'…first bounty, at the age of twelve: for causing massive civilian casualties and the destruction of marine patrol fleets in East Blue, as well as possessing the legendary 'Fruit of Death', β100,000,000. Second bounty, at the age of thirteen-'

'-yes, I know. For destroying a Buster Call Fleet, killing five Vice Admirals and the complete eradication of Marine base G-6, located in the Grand Line, all without a single severe injury – β250,000,000,' Sengoku sighed before continuing.

'We have no other choice. He's only sixteen, and has massive potential due to the power of the Yoso Yoso no Mi. There is no doubt that he will become a great threat to the World Government in the future, if we do not take action now.'

'We're doing our best to capture him, sir.'

'Command all of your troops to retreat immediately upon sighting. He's too dangerous an individual; we're just wasting precious manpower by sending in more fleets.'

'Understood, sir. What should we do about him then?'

The Fleet Admiral paused.

'Offer him a position amongst the Shichibukai.'

'But sir, we already have sev-'

'I know,' Sengoku adjusted his glasses with a single finger.

'Make an exception. Grant him the title of the Royal Eighth Shichibukai.'

_The following night._

'I accept the position, but I have several conditions,' the masked, hooded figure that sat across the Fleet Admiral began.

'Let's hear them, then.'

'The unwanted island of Arechi, in the first half of the Grand Line – I wish to claim that as my own territory. There are to be no trespassers. I also require access to the Marine's Information Bureau,' the figure continued, raising his dark, golden eyes to meet Sengoku's own.

His demands were reasonable, but Sengoku made a mental note to himself to keep an eye on the notorious pirate's activities.

'Hunters 'Elemental' Eric, your conditions will be fulfilled. Welcome to the Shichibukai.'


End file.
